[1]Mark T. Robinson faces Judge Richard Brosey in Lewis County Superior Court.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A 45-year-old man released after a 12-year prison term for a violent rape found himself in the Lewis County Jail as lawyers attempt to keep him locked up even after he’s served his full sentence.
Mark T. Robinson was a truck driver who picked up an 18-year-old girl at a Spokane truck stop who wanted a ride to Toledo, according to court documents.
Along the way, he pulled over, held a knife to her neck and told her she would pay for her ride whether she liked it or not, court papers state.
Afterward, when they made a bathroom stop, Robinson dragged her across a road, held her by her neck over the edge of a cliff and made her promise on the lives of her family not to report it, according to the documents.
The teen, who was left with bruises, swelling and bites, jumped out of the big rig at an exit on Interstate 5 near Toledo when she saw her boyfriend’s mother driving by and asked to go to the hospital, the documents state.
Robinson was convicted three months later in September 2000 in Lewis County Superior Court of first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping.
He reportedly confessed to raping dozens of prostitutes in Pierce and King counties during the previous four to five years.
Robinson is among a small number of individuals convicted of sex crimes in Washington state where after their criminal sentence is completed, authorities attempt to retain them in custody for treatment until they are no longer dangerous, according to Senior Counsel Malcom Ross, at the Office of the Attorney General of Washington.
The process comes from the Community Protection Act of 1990, the first of its kind in the nation, according to Ross.
Ross filed the sexually violent predator petition for Robinson’s civil commitment in Lewis County Superior Court on May 10.
When Robinson appeared last week before Judge Richard Brosey, shackled and wearing red and white striped jail garb, the judge order him to be held at the McNeil Island Special Commitment Center, pending a trial in December to determine if the former Olympia area man qualifies for the detention.
Robinson was represented by Centralia attorney J.O. Enbody.
Documents in his court file describe an evaluation conducted a year ago at the request of the state Department of Corrections End of Sentence Review Committee.
A psychologist concluded Robinson suffers from sexual sadism and anti-social personality disorder.
Robinson told C. Mark Patterson Ph.D.. he was born and raised in a farming area near Olympia, and moved out of the family home at age 27.
He said he was bullied for being in special education classes and dropped out of school in the 12th grade.
He said in an interview with a detective, according to court papers, he got a thrill out of raping, but he confessed because he “wanted it over” and wanted help.
One of the incidents was corroborated by prostitute who said he raped her at knife point in a truck near the Tacoma Tide flats, according to the documents.
Robinson was also convicted of patronizing a prostitute in 1998.
The psychologist’s opinion was Robinson is likely to commit acts of sexual violence if not confined.
The planned December trial is civil, not criminal, according to Ross.
The state Attorney General’s Office typically handles these types of cases, in the county where the criminal conviction occurred.
The attorney, who has been handling such cases for the past decade, said such a petition is filed for approximately 1 percent of offenders who are released from prison in Washington.
He estimated the facility at McNeil Island houses about 300 individuals, about two hundred of which are actually committed and the others awaiting the outcome of their case.
In order for Robinson to be civilly committed, Ross will have to prove he suffers from a mental or personality disorder [2] which makes him likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence if not locked up.
Among the next steps, is finding the victim, he said. He wasn’t sure where she is from, but said she was on her way to visit the father of her child in Winlock when she was raped.